Friends

That was some of the most painful hockey I've every witnessed. Listen, I get the team is going to be bad the next two-three years and maybe even longer. I can accept the team is pretty much trying to gather young, offensive talent pretty much from scratch. I mean, they pretty much have three forwards U25 worth a damn (Henrique, Palmieri and Zacha with the latter two being question marks). However, the way the team was playing January-April was inexcusable and outright disgusting. Playing a lifeless, passive, defensive system with no transition game trying to eek out 2-1 victories in pointless games. Like I said, no matter what I'll watch every game and attend the usual 5-7 games, but Im so glad the team is getting rid of the dead weight in management like Oates, Stevens, downsizing Lou's role and players like Fraser, Bernier, Gomez, Harrold. Then after this year Ruutu and Zubrus. This literally is starting from scratch and so far, every move has been logical.

I don't know that an offensive star on the order of a McDavid wouldn't wind up making NJ a marketable item to the NY media for the first time in its history. For better or worse, NY's media loves a winner and loves offense. The last time a non-Ranger metro area team had an offensive player that marketable his name was Mike Bossy and you better believe the Islanders had support from the media in those days.

Tavares is a top ten forward in the league and he gets nothing in terms of local and leaguewide marketing. NJ had a top goalie of all time who had a 15 year prime and they got nothing locally. Lundqvist gets more now than Marty ever did and Brodeur is an all timer.

The booing is unnecessary plain and simple. What do you expect when the team is comprised of grinders and mid-late 30s former stars? You boo if the effort isn't there or guys are dogging it, that isn't the case with this team. They just suck; it's actually pretty obvious. They have no speed and little skill but they are trying. This happens when your GM makes deadline acquisitions like Kovalchuk, Zidlicky and others and you trade picks. Drafting in the late 20s most of the time hurts too and while I'm not the biggest fan of Conte, his only top pick in recent years has been Larsson, who is seemingly turning a corner. Lou trading off countless picks like Schneider and the aforementioned deals hurts. Success in team sports is cyclical, be happy that you got 20 years of contending and take your lumps for the next few seasons. This is an unpopular opinion, but DeBoer is one of the only reasons the team hasnt gotten slaughtered the last couple of seasons. The team has/had a lot of difficult personalities like Marty, Jagr, Kovalchuk, Zidlicky, Langenbrunner (yeah, not a DeBoer coached guy but still). You really think the only reason the players have DeBoer's back is because he lets them off easy? People around the league are shocked that DeBoer is on the hotseat because he squeezes every drop out of this talentless lineup

Yeah, are the unhappy people huffing a combination of paint, gasoline and windex? Devils played last night, are missing half their squad and were up against the best team in the league. Without godly efforts from Kinkaid and Greene, this isnt a contest. Be happy that Cory doesn't have to play 77 games this year

I think the first two tiers are very safe bets to make it, but I could honestly see any team from tiers 3 and 4 getting into the playoffs. 13 teams fighting for five spots seems about right, but I definitely think NJ is among the best of tiers 3 and 4.